


You Know Better Babe Than to Smile at Me

by liveinfury



Category: Hockey RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - Diners, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-13
Updated: 2016-05-13
Packaged: 2018-06-08 06:12:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,081
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6842122
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/liveinfury/pseuds/liveinfury
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“Has Jamie ever said anything about me?” Tyler asks.</p><p>“Aw fuck here we go again,” Jason says, throwing his hands up in the air out of exasperation.</p><p>“What? I’m just wondering.” Tyler doesn’t think he talks about Jamie <i>that</i> much.</p><p>(or the diner au where Tyler is a huge flirt and Jamie doesn't dig it...until he does)</p>
            </blockquote>





	You Know Better Babe Than to Smile at Me

**Author's Note:**

> title taken from It Will Come Back by Hozier.

Sunday at around noon, Tyler hears bells jingle as the door to the diner opens. He turns his head around so fast he practically gets whiplash, this was just getting pathetic. Tyler times it perfectly to be out front taking orders and manning the register when Jamie usually comes in. But unlike the other times he’s looked over at the door today, he is not disappointed.

Jamie’s wearing basketball shorts and a shirt with what looks like a chewed up collar. His hair is a mess and he keeps wincing as he walks over to the counter. It’s a look that definitely screams hangover.

Tyler knows little to nothing about Jamie.

The things he does know: (possibly from stalking, he’s not above that)  
1\. Jamie plays for their college’s hockey team, his number is 14 and he’s pretty fucking amazing  
2\. Jamie has an older brother, Jordie, who is dating Tyler’s best friend, Jason.

That’s pretty much it. Everything else Tyler imagines himself and fills in the blanks. From group gatherings including both of them, Tyler gets the feeling that Jamie is more of a shy reserved type. He seems quiet and calm, something Tyler needs in his life.

Jamie sits down on the stool in front of Tyler at the counter.

“Hey Jamie, what can I get for you? The usual?” Tyler asks, transitioning into full flirt mode, but keeping his voice down so as to not make his hangover more painful.

“Yeah, thanks.” Jamie says, tight lipped as always.

“Sure thing, coming right up!” Tyler says, politely with a huge grin on his face. Tyler loves making other people smile and the best way to do that is always smiling at them first. No one could resist Tyler’s blinding smile, no one except Jamie that is.

Tyler goes to the kitchen to give them Jamie’s order and comes back out front to find Jamie fiddling with his phone with an angry look on his face.

“Everything okay?” Tyler asks.

“Wha- oh uh yeah, everything is fine,” Jamie says, looking at Tyler like he’s weird for asking such a question.

“Well that’s good then!” Tyler grinned, again.

It's almost a routine for the both of them. Every Saturday and Sunday, Jamie comes in around noon and orders chocolate chip pancakes with maple syrup and a cup of coffee. Tyler always greets him with a smile, but never gets one in return. It isn’t like Jamie ignores Tyler, he comes to the diner too often to ignore him. But it isn’t like Jamie answers Tyler’s questions with more than one word responses or cooperates in any sort of friendly conversation that Tyler tries to start. 

They both go to the same college, Tyler sees Jamie around campus from time to time. They don’t cross paths nearly as often as one would think, especially with Jamie’s brother dating Tyler’s best friend. Probably because Jamie rarely parties and that’s kind of all Tyler does these days. 

Even outside of the diner when Tyler sees him, he treats him with smiles, but Jamie continues to treat Tyler as if he’s a stranger, not the guy who serves him pancakes every weekend. Tyler likes him anyway, he finds his doe brown eyes and weird haircut very endearing.

Tyler watches Jamie eat his pancakes, inconspicuously of course. The way his jaw moves when he chews gets Tyler drooling. It’s truly fascinating.

When he’s done he gets up to pay. Tyler gives him his change (accidentally brushing his fingers against Jamie’s palm, of course), smiles, and tells him “Have a great day, beautiful!”

Jamie doesn’t respond. He blinks at Tyler, runs a hand through his hair and turns to leave. Exactly what Tyler expected him to do.

After Tyler’s shift at the diner he goes back to the apartment he shares with Jason to pass out on their couch. He decides a boy can only take so much. 

“What?” Jason asks from the kitchen.

“Huh?” he responds from the couch.

“I can hear you sighing and fidgeting from here. What’s up?” Jason joins him in the living room and shoves his legs off the couch to sit next to him.

“Nothing.”

“Tyler. I know you want to tell me, so just spit it out already.” Jason and Tyler knew each other for years, they were roommates freshmen year of college and stuck with it since, even now after three years.

“Has Jamie ever said anything about me?” Tyler asks.

“Aw fuck here we go again,” Jason says, throwing his hands up in the air out of exasperation.

“What? I’m just wondering.” Tyler doesn’t think he talks about Jamie _that_ much.

“Just ask him out, you know he’s gay. The worst thing that can happen is that he says no, in which case, so what?” Jason says as if it’s the easiest thing in the world.

“No, the worst thing would be that he’d stop coming in and there goes my eye candy. Anyway, has he ever said anything?” Tyler directs the conversation back to where he wants it.

“Not really, I mean we don’t talk all that much in general, he’s super quiet around me. I can bait him into a conversation about you though if you want, I’ll visit you at work while he’s there,” Jason says after thinking about it for some time.

“Yes! Jason you’re the best,” Tyler jumps up and tackles Jason on his side of the couch.

“Only because I’m sick of the pinning, it’s so nauseating,” Jason says as he tries to shove Tyler off of him. 

*

The next Saturday Jamie is sitting in the diner halfway done with his pancakes when Jason walks in. Tyler is cleaning up behind the counter and nods his head in a greeting.

“Oh hey Jamie, I didn’t know you eat here!” Jason says. What a fucking lie.

“Hey Jason. Yeah, I just come in here for some late breakfast on the weekends,” Jamie says, getting up to bro-hug Jason. Jason sits down next to Jamie at the counter after and Tyler walks over to take his order.

“Whaddup dumbass, what do you want?” Tyler asks through a grin.

“A turkey sandwich asshole.”

“Coming right up.” 

Tyler goes to the kitchen to place Jason’s order. On his way back to the front he can hear Jason and Jamie talking and slows down. When he hears his own name he stays behind the door to the front half of the room, not wanting to interrupt their conversation and wanting to eavesdrop. Tyler isn’t above that.

“So, Jamie, Tyler’s great isn’t he?” Jason asks.

“Um, sure?” Jamie responds hesitantly. Tyler discreetly opens up the door a bit so he can get a look at them.

“He totally seems like your type,” Jason says, continuing to make things awkward.

Jamie’s head snaps up from his plate where he had been staring and looks at Jason like he’s crazy.

“Tyler? My type?” he asks. 

“Yeah, I mean from what I know Kyle was your type. Y’know, he had that whole ‘muscles, tats, frat boy’ type of thing going on. Tyler seems to fit that mold, and he’s gay too,” Jason says, elbowing him a little at the last part.

“Uh, yeah no. He might look like my type, but trust me, I do not want a guy like that,” Jamie says, finishing up the last of his pancakes.

Tyler can feel his stomach drop at the words. He feels flushed and embarrassed. Jamie never responded to his flirting because his feelings were clearly not reciprocated and all Tyler was doing was making him increasingly uncomfortable.

“A guy like what?” Jason asks, sounding defensive.

“Well, I mean he’s always smiling and flirting with everyone. Guys like that are not boyfriend material.” Jamie replies.

Jamie seems to also see the disappointment on Jason’s face and probably feels like he should defend his nonsensical reasoning.

“He is hot, I mean I’m not blind, but if I were to go out with him or whatever, I guess I’d always be suspicious of him or jealous and that’s not healthy in a relationship.”

“Well, then I guess you don’t really know Tyler, do you?” Jason huffs, getting up and turning to leave. He’s halfway out the diner when he realizes that he ordered a sandwich and slowly turns back around. He looks like he can’t decide if he wants to stay or leave. Tyler helps him out by going back to the kitchen and bringing out his sandwich.

“Hey, Ty, can I get that to go?” Jason asks as he notices Tyler coming out the back.

“Yeah sure,” Tyler starts wrapping the sandwich up for him and rings him up on the register.

“Thanks man, I’ll see you later, yeah?” Jason asks, taking the change and his sandwich from him. Jason looks at him with a face of sympathy, so he knows Tyler eavesdropped on the entire conversation. 

“Yeah,” Tyler says with a sigh, watching Jason walk out of the diner.

Tyler looks around the diner to check if anyone needs anything and his gaze falls on Jamie. He oddly forgot Jamie was even there, which is stupid considering the gutting feeling in his stomach is essentially caused by him. 

If Jamie’s going to judge Tyler without getting to know him or giving him a chance, then maybe Tyler was wrong about Jamie being so great. Sure, Tyler has a genuinely friendly personality, but that doesn’t mean he goes around flirting with everyone. He doesn’t treat anyone like he treats Jamie. But if that’s what Jamie wants to think, then Tyler will let him. He is not going to change for anyone, let alone a man.

Tyler realizes that the flirting should stop, clearly Jamie isn’t interested. He’s just going to have to treat him like he treats every other customer. No more grins, just smiles. No more trying to get to know Jamie, Tyler will just casually ask him about his day like he does with everyone else. 

Jamie comes up to the register to pay his bill and reaches into his back pocket to pull out his wallet. He sets the money on the counter and for the first time all day, makes eye contact with Tyler. Tyler knows he shouldn’t be affected by a guy who thinks so little of him, but he could feel his own heart rate quickening at the sudden attention he was getting by Jamie. 

Tyler flashes him a quick smile, takes Jamie’s money and gives him back his change.

“Have a good day,” Tyler calls after his retrieving back. Jamie waves as if to say ‘thanks, you too’ and walks out the door.

Tyler sighs and heads to the back with Jamie’s empty dishes. 

*

When Tyler gets back to his apartment, Jason is already there waiting for him. 

“Did you hear all of it?” Jason asks from where he’s lounging on the couch.

“Yeah, but don’t worry I’ll be fine,” Tyler reassures him. He looks at the time and thinks four o’clock is a suitable time to start drinking and grabs a beer.

“Why do I find that hard to believe?” Jason asks. Tyler joins him on the couch.

“I’m a big boy, Jason. I’ll get over it.”

“Sorry, bud. But hey, at least he thinks you’re hot!” Jason says, swinging an arm around Tyler, going in for a noogie.

“Fuck off.” Tyler shoves Jason away.

“Chinese food? My treat!” Jason suggests.

“Sure.” Honestly, Tyler doesn’t know if he can stomach anything. He feels stupid that a guy he barely knows can affect him this much.

*

Tyler is determined not to flirt with Jamie anymore, but it’s proving to be a lot harder than he thought. Especially when Jamie shows up at the diner the next weekend in tight jeans and a button up shirt. Had it been any other time, Tyler would complement his outfit, but today he has to learn to refrain himself.

“Hey, what can I get you?” Tyler asks, keeping his flirty grin locked away.

“The usual, please,” Jamie responds as he slides onto his usual seat at the counter.

“Sure.” Tyler goes and places his order.

He decides to keep himself busy by making the rounds to other customers seated at the counter. He’s not the only waiter there, but he’s the only one that manages the counter. After he makes small talk with everyone, he returns to a frowning Jamie. Tyler tells himself not to ask Jamie if everything is okay, it’s not like he would answer properly anyway.

Tyler brings Jamie’s food out and busies himself again by cleaning up things around the counter and rearranging some of the condiments. He gets so caught up in scraping some gross dried up ketchup off the counter that he startles when Jamie clears his throat behind him.

“Oh shit, sorry!” Tyler says, turning around to see Jamie waiting at the register.

“No, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you. Can you, um, can you ring me up?” Jamie asks.

“Yeah, yeah,” Tyler rings him up for his brunch and doesn’t fail to notice the weird looks Jamie keeps shooting at him while he does it.

“Everything okay?” Jamie asks, pocketing his change.

“Yup, fine. Why?” Tyler asks. He didn’t know if his avoidance technique was that obvious. Tyler must have been all over him before, that’s so fucking embarrassing.

“No reason, you just seem a bit off. I’ll see ya,” Jamie says, turning to leave.

Yes, Tyler does stare at his ass while he walks away, he’s only human.

*

The next week, things are going as usual – Jamie eating at the counter, Tyler keeping busy in order to stop himself from staring too longingly at Jamie – when a customer approaches the register.

“Hi, what can I get for you today?” Tyler asks the man. 

“This is my first time here, what do you recommend, Tyler?” The man asks with a blinding smile after squinting at Tyler’s name tag.

Tyler assesses the guy, he’s got shiny flowing hair (the kind you can definitely run your hands through), and piercing blue eyes. He’s the definition of dreamy. If Tyler is trying to move on from Jamie, he can’t think of a hotter person to do it with. Tyler takes a second to shift into flirty mode, his friendly smile being replaced by a smirky grin. 

“Well, if you like Paninis, then I strongly recommend the Chipotle Chicken Panini, Mr. …” Tyler drags out, trying to get the man’s name.

“Sharp. Patrick Sharp. And yeah, that sounds good, I’ll take one for here please,” Patrick says as he slides onto the stool next to Jamie’s. 

“Sure no problem Pat. Can I call you Pat?” The grin Tyler’s sporting is starting to hurt his face. He risks a glance at Jamie who just keeps his head down towards his dish with a slight frown. That makes sense; Jamie doesn’t want Tyler because he’s too flirty, which was exactly what Tyler was doing at the moment.

“ _You_ can call me whatever you'd like, Tyler,” Patrick says with a wink.

Tyler giggles and walks to the kitchen to place his order. He tries to ignore how even though he was flirting and being flirted with by an incredibly attractive guy, his eyes kept straying back to Jamie.

When Tyler comes back, Jamie is already waiting at the register to pay, his meal only half finished.

“Want me to pack that up for you?” Tyler asks him as he rings him up.

“Nah, don’t really seem to have an appetite, thanks though,” Jamie says, avoiding eye contact.

“Sure, no problem,” Tyler says with his friendly smile.

When Jamie turns to walk away, Tyler does not stare at his ass. He feels very proud of this feat. Although, he does watch Patrick’s ass walk away after exchanging numbers.

*

A few weeks go by and Tyler's getting nowhere with his whole ‘get over Jamie’ mission. He’s dialed down the flirting, but it’s hard to get over Jamie when he’s here so often.

Jamie’s been acting odd lately. He looks at Tyler skeptically all the time and shifts around uncomfortably in his seat. He’s also been initiating conversations with Tyler which has been messing with Tyler’s head even more.

Jamie’s munching away on his pancakes on Sunday afternoon, complaining about the team’s power play when a really cute guy walks in waits at the register to order.

“Whoa, hold up Jamie. Give me a sec, gotta get this order and maybe a number,” Tyler says, winking at Jamie, jokingly. Jamie scrunches his eyebrows in response and frowns.

Just because he hates Tyler’s flirting personality, doesn’t mean Tyler’s going to stop being himself. Why does Jamie even bother with the small talk when he doesn’t even like Tyler?

Tyler never texted or called Patrick, he comes in from time to time, but there’s not much chemistry between them. If Tyler’s being honest with himself, he still has feelings for Jamie and he’s hoping the right guy will come along and change that.

“Hi, how can I help you?” Tyler asks.

“Hey man, can I get a cheeseburger with fries?”

“Sure, take a seat anywhere you’d like and I’ll bring it to you.”

“Cool,” the guy says, taking a seat at the counter, a few seats away from Jamie.

Tyler goes to the back and places the order. The cooks tell him it’ll just take a few minutes, most of the food is prepped, so he decides to wait there for it.

Once it’s ready, he takes it out front and places it in front of the man.

“Here you go,” Tyler says with a grin.

“Thanks,” the guy says, giving him his own toothy grin in return.

“Of course, anything else I can get for you…” Tyler trails off, waiting for the man to give him his name.

“Tyler,” the man says.

“Oh, that’s my name too.”

“Really? Cool. Keeps my theory intact,” Tyler the customer says, chewing on some fries.

“And what theory is that?”

“That all Tylers are devastatingly handsome.”

Tyler blushes at his words and grins even wider. “I think you’re onto something.”

After Tyler-the-customer is done with his lunch, he pays and scribbles down his number on a napkin, sliding it over to Tyler with a wink.

Jamie scoffs from his seat.

“What?” Tyler asks. He didn’t even realize Jamie was still there, he must’ve been eating really slowly.

“That was a terrible line,” Jamie comments.

“I thought it was cute,” Tyler says, shrugging.

“He has a boyfriend,” Jamie says, wiping his mouth with a napkin and chugging the last of his coffee.

“How do you know that?” Tyler asks.

“When you went to the kitchen, he was on the phone calling someone ‘babe’ and ‘honey.’ I mean, it could be a girlfriend, I’m not putting him in a box. Also, not saying that he’s cheating by flirting with you, maybe he’s in an open relationship, I don’t know him, but I’m assuming you would mind-“

“Jamie! I get it, thanks for the heads up,” Tyler says, interrupting Jamie’s rambling.

He picks up the napkin with Tyler’s number and tosses it into the trashcan behind the counter. Jamie stands up and leans over to see and continues to stare at Tyler.

“What? I’m not a dick. I have some morals, regardless of what you might think,” he says to Jamie’s confused face.

“No, I know. I’ve noticed,” Jamie mumbles and then takes a second to himself. “Wait, what do you mean regardless of what I might think?”

“I heard you talking about me to Jason a few weeks ago about how I’m not ‘boyfriend material,’” Tyler says with air quotes on the last two words. 

Jamie flushes and stutters out an apology.

“It’s okay, man. Can’t be everyone’s type, eh?” Tyler says, teasingly.

“Yes! I mean, no, I mean,” Jamie stumbles over his words. He stops and takes a deep breath. “You are my type. It’s just-“

“Don’t hurt yourself, dude. It’s cool,” Tyler says, lightly punching his shoulder just as a family enters the diner. 

Jamie pays after Tyler takes their order and looks as if there’s something he wants to say.

“What?” Tyler asks.

“Nothing, never mind,” Jamie replies, walking away.

*  
Jamie comes in Tuesday morning, during Tyler’s only other shift. He’s never come in on a non-weekend before so Tyler cocks him an eyebrow.

“Odd seeing you on a weekday here,” Tyler says as Jamie settles down in his usual seat.

“Had to get out of the apartment, Jordie and Jason were driving me crazy,” Jamie responds.

“Oh no, what’d they do?” Tyler knows firsthand what kind of havoc those two could create.

“They were just being all, sappy,” Jamie replies, shuddering.

“A couple being sappy, the horror!” Tyler says through laughter.

Jamie rolls his eyes. “Shut up, it’s nauseating.”

The bells jingle and Tyler glances at the doors. “Speak of the devils,” Tyler mutters as the couple in question approaches the counter.

“Why are you here? I left so you could have some alone time,” Jamie says in frustration. Jordie and Jason sit down next to Jamie.

“We had alone time last night,” Jordie replies.

“And this morning,” Jason adds, wiggling his eyebrows.

“Gross, I don’t need to know about my brother’s sex life,” Jamie says, cringing.

“Alright, what can I get for you guys?” Tyler asks, interrupting any argument that was about to form between the Benns.

“I’ll have a coffee, cream and sugar,” Jordie answers.

Tyler looks over at Jason for his order but is met with him shaking his head.

“Nothing?” Tyler asks.

“Nah, I’m good.”

“I’ll have the usual,” Jamie orders and then looks over at his brother. “You came all the way down here just for coffee when there’s a Starbucks and Dunkin Donuts on your way?”

“Yup, I wanted to see what all the hype was about,” Jordie says, smiling.

“You’ve been here before,” Jamie says, looking confused.

“Not that hype,” Jordie responds as he looks at Tyler.

“What?” Tyler asks. He has no idea what’s going on.

“Just wanna see what’s so great about this place that it has by baby bro coming every weekend for the past year,” Jordie explains.

“It’s good food,” Jamie grumbles.

“Nah, I don’t think that’s it,” Jordie says, continuing to stare at Tyler.

Tyler glances at Jason to see if he can clear up what’s going on, but he looks back with a smirk and winks.

“Ignore him,” Jamie says.

“Sure,” Tyler replies, skeptically. He backs away from the counter and goes to place their orders. He thinks he understands what’s going on.

*

The next time Jamie comes in, he engages Tyler in another conversation. His eyes keep roaming over Tyler’s face, down to his arms often.

Jamie gets up to pay as usual and Tyler quickly evaluates everything that’s happened in the past few weeks. He gives in and does the one thing he should have done from the beginning.

“You wanna go out some time? On a date?” Tyler asks Jamie with a flirty smile.

“Yes! Thank god, I thought I’d never see that smile again,” Jamie replies with a smile of his own.

“What smile?”

“Y’know, the one you put on when you’re flirting,” Jamie answers. His eyes fall to Tyler’s lips and then back up to his eyes. “Fuck, I’ve been a dick. I didn’t realize that you acted differently with me than with everyone else. I thought you flirted with everyone, but you were just being nice and only flirting with me. I think just me, right?”

“Yeah Jamie, just you,” Tyler says, softly.

“So, date? When are you free?”

They set a date for Tuesday night. Jamie pays and leaves. 

Tyler smiles after him and grins down at the dishes Jamie left behind. 

Jamie storms back into the diner a few seconds later and leans over the counter.

“What are you-“

Tyler doesn’t get anything else out before Jamie’s lips press onto his. It’s a quick kiss and Tyler barely has time to kiss him back before Jamie pulls away. Tyler chases after his lips and captures them in another kiss. He pulls Jamie closer with a hand on his neck as Jamie cups Tyler’s jaw, awkwardly leaning over the counter. After trading a few kisses they reluctantly pull apart.

Jamie clears his throat, his face just as flushed as Tyler thinks his own probably is. “So, Tuesday then?”

“Yeah, Jamie, Tuesday,” Tyler responds, grinning.

**Author's Note:**

> [my tumblr](http://liveinfurry.tumblr.com/)


End file.
